Rising From The Ashes
by AngelCake32415
Summary: An old friend of Tygra tries to help the ThunderCats, but will she just cause more strife to a love triangle?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own ThunderCats, because if I did Lion-O would have a love interest. Lol :)

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Chapter 1

Riled from her sleep by low rumbling, a beautiful young cat stood up from her bed of leaves. It was midday, but the thick leaves blocked out the sun.

"_I'm beginning to get hungry," _she thought holding her growling stomach. _"I need to start moving again."_

She gathered her things: a cloak, a dagger, and a staff. Each item had a story behind it and was very important to her. She would never part with them, even in death.

Tying the dark blue cloak around her neck, she stuck the dagger into her belt and began walking with staff in hand.

With no location in mind, she made her way through the dense forest. Stepping over branches and hidden from the sun by the leaves, she walked in silence. Who was there to talk to when you traveled alone?

She kept her senses open, always on guard. With all things dark green or brown, bright colors would be seen easily. The girl was on the lookout for both food and enemies.

She made her way to a close stream and bent down, cupping her hands to put them in the water. She splashed it in her face to remove any dirt.

Her tawny ears perked up and twitched at the sound of voices nearby. Someone had set up camp near this stream and she needed to know if they were a threat to her. She didn't trust anyone.

She stood up and stalked towards the voices, her feet making no noise where she stepped. Judging from where they were one of her traps was in their campground. As if proving her theory right, she heard the familiar _snap _and someone's shout of surprise.

She quickly made her way through her underbrush and towards the trap. She wanted to see who had been caught. She almost wanted to laugh when she stepped into the clearing. A giant bald panther with a brown vest and black pants was hanging upside down by his foot from a tree.

It was quite the sight to see. She walked over to him and looked with a curious face at his predicament. His back was turned to her so he still didn't know she was there.

"Hey!" he called out, unaware of the cat behind him.

She turned to the tree and quickly climbed it with ease. She walked to the branch supporting the panther and smirked as it bent under his weight. Carefully, she walked out onto the branch and bent down to look at him. His friends had started to gather around him. There were five altogether: a lion, a tiger, a cheetah, and two wildcats.

They were all laughing at the panther caught in her trap.

"So this is what you meant when you said you were going to work on the Thundertank," the young lion said inciting laughter from everyone.

"Just get me down!" the panther shouted.

Before anyone else could do anything, she took out her dagger and cut him free with one swipe. He fell onto the ground with a _thud._ When the cat saw his face, her eyes widened at the familiar face.

"Maybe we should tie him back up so the person who set this thing won't go hungry," the tiger suggested inciting laughter from everyone, but the panther. He just glared at the tiger.

"He seems a little too tough for my liking," the girl called down from the branch he sat on. Everyone looked up and she waved. She saw faces she never thought she would see again. The girl jumped and landed gracefully on the ground. Compared to all the other cats, she was quite short. She was only taller than the boy wildcat by 5-6 inches.

Pushing her hood back, she smiled at the cats who seemed a little surprised at her entrance. Only one cat responded and he did the most unlikely thing. The tiger picked the girl up and hugged her, spinning her around. She giggled as he set her back down and hugged him back.

"Tygra," she said with a big smile on her cheeks.

Tygra would remember that tawny fur, black spots, and stripes anywhere. Her hair was long, but it was tied in a braid on her shoulder. It was uncharacteristically dark, but had tawny streaks in it. Her eyes were a bright amethyst purple.

Tygra remembered teasing her about those eyes and tugging on that braid.

"Ocelera, I thought you were dead!" he exclaimed.

She shook her head and smiled at him before hugging him again. When they pulled away they had a strong emotion in their eyes, _love_.

The cheetah, finally letting her jealousy get the better of her, cleared her throat loudly. It reminded the ocelot and tiger that they weren't alone.

Tygra introduced Ocelera to everyone who waved and smiled at them, too shy to say anything.

She quickly walked up to Lion-O and eyed him. If she was tall enough, they'd be close enough to kiss. She stood on her toes and looked him straight in the eyes.

Lion-O just looked surprised at the strange girl. He didn't want to say anything and hurt the little girl's feelings. She looked like she was only a year older than the twins.

The next words out of her mouth surprised everyone, but Panthro and Tygra as both already knew the ocelot.

"The last time I saw you, you were barely to my chest and now I have to stand on my toes to be as tall as your chest," she told the lion.

"Huh?" was all a confused Lion-O could utter.

"She's three years older than you Lion-O," Tygra told him chuckling.

The look on Lion-O's face was hilarious.

He looked at the older girl in front of him with confusion. She was so petite that he could probably pick her up with one hand. She had the beauty and grace of a woman though her stature was that of a girl's. Her purple eyes shone with wisdom he had yet to learn.

Ocelera's stomach growled and she smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry; I haven't had much to eat, all I've caught is a small fish and a giant panther," she said pointedly at Panthro.

"Join us for dinner then," Tygra suggested.

Everyone was surprised by the usually proud tiger's sudden bout of generosity.

The girl's shy nature took over and she immediately put her hands up in defense.

"I would hate to be a bother, I can just forage," she began to ramble.

Ocelera hated to be a bother to anyone. Plus the thought of actual conversation almost scared her into heat. The look Cheetara was giving her didn't give her much courage either. They were all pretty big cats and Cheetara could probably take her out in a grudge match.

"I insist," Tygra said using the words she couldn't say no to.

"If you insist then," she said with a smile.

The next thing she knew, Wilykat and Wilykit had grabbed her arms and were pulling her to the Thundertank with Snarf at their heels.

The way Tygra was watching her you'd expect him to sigh. The other large three cats looked so confused. Actually two of them were looking at him with confusion one just chuckled and clapped him hard on the back.

"Shouldn't you three be looking for dinner?" Panthro reminded them.

Cheetara just gave Tygra a real mean look before speeding off into the thick woods.

"What's with her?" Tygra asked.

Lion-O just rolled his eyes and pulled his brother with him.

"Come on Lover Boy."

Tygra's hide was so tanned that night.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own ThunderCats.

Sorry for the cure word in this chapter.

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Chapter 2

"So how exactly do you know Tygra and Lion-O?" Cheetara asked Ocelera that night around the fire.

"We were, uh, childhood friends," the ocelot answered shyly.

"Best friends is more like it," Tygra added.

Ocelera sat in between Lion-O and Tygra which was a huge contrast. She looked like a toddler sitting between the tall cats. She kept fidgeting with anxiousness and fear. Cheetara eyed her like a predator looking at her prey.

"But why don't I remember you?" Lion-O asked the beautiful girl.

She looked up into his bright, teal blue eyes and immediately looked back down, her tawny cheeks hot. He had grown from that little cub she knew into the handsome lion before her.

"The last time we actually interacted you were ten," she said still looking down. "It was your first practice fight with your brother and it didn't go so well."

"I remember that fight," Panthro said. "Big show over there nearly took off his brother's head trying to impress his girlfriend."

Both Tygra and Ocelera blushed from the comment. While Ocelera stayed quiet, Tygra sputtered with words for a comeback. She put a hand on his shoulder and he calmed down.

"He hit you hard in the head with that wooden sword and you got a concussion, when you woke up you didn't even know my name," she explained to him.

"I remember waking up to a strange girl yelling at Tygra," he said with a smirk on his face.

"Chewed him out worse than his own father," Panthro chuckled.

Tygra shivered from the petite woman's hidden fury. Underneath that innocent face was a wrath that not even Mumm-Ra would want to combat. Even though Ocelera was quiet and shy, she wasn't afraid to unleash her fury.

"I wasn't allowed to watch their practices after that," she said.

"So you have all the dirt on Tygra?" Wilykat asked with a sly look on his face.

"I guess," she said.

"She probably doesn't have many stories since Tygra's too noble," Wilykit told her brother.

"Not _that _noble," Ocelera said with a huge smirk. "There was one time when he climbed up the highest tree in Thundera and _I _had to get him down."

Everyone laughed and listened intently as Ocelera recounted the many adventures she had with Tygra. The tiger in question just watched the usually shy girl talking so animatedly. He tried not to stare, but it was hard.

Ocelera definitely was not like any other cat. She was special and in a category all her own. Tygra had been with her since she was born and they rarely left each other's side. When they were together, she kept him humble and he made sure she spoke her mind.

She was there for him when Lion-O was born and his mother died. She was the one who comforted him when he lost everything. She was the one who pulled him out of his fog and got him back to his old self. She also helped him realize that even though his brother was stubborn and annoying and didn't think straight some times, he loved him.

Ocelera looked at him and smiled before continuing her story. It had gone from him getting stuck in a tree to their adventure trying to babysit Lion-O was his was learning to walk.

The ocelot remembered all of her adventures as a cub with Tygra. Whatever she left out, he filled in for her. There was never a boring day if they were together. Trouble seemed to follow them as cubs and that trouble followed her now as an adult.

With the fall of Thundera, she was one of the few to escape and one of the even fewer to survive. She always kept moving and didn't trust anyone. Who knew whether someone was in league with Mumm-Ra or not? Some people were just plain evil instead.

As soon was Wilykit and Wilykat had fallen asleep, Cheetara and Lion-O put them to bed. Ocelera would've offered to help, but Cheetara's tone of voice warned her not to talk. Panthro had gone back to the Thundertank, which he called his baby. It left Ocelera and Tygra alone.

"I should leave, I think I've overstayed my welcome," Ocelera said standing up.

She walked over to the tree that previously held her trap. Tygra followed close behind her. As she reached for her cloak that hung from a low branch, Tygra grabbed her arm and spun her around, backing her into a tree.

She rolled her eyes and sighed as she prepared herself for whatever he suggested. This was his signature move when she walked away. He always had her backed up against something.

"Stay the night so you can be safe," he said.

His arm was on the left side of Ocelera's head and looked her straight in the eyes. Anyone who else who would've saw this thought he was flirting, but they were so comfortable with each other that none of his techniques would've worked without her laughing at him.

"I can take care of myself Tygra, I'm not a little cub anymore," she told him as she crossed her arms.

"If not for your sake, then what about mine?" he asked pleading with his eyes.

Ocelera hated it when he gave her that face. She could never say no to it. He would poke out his lower lip and widen his eyes to look like a kitten. He looked so cute and he knew Ocelera's weakness to cute things.

She quickly weakened and agreed to stay the night.

"But don't be surprised if I'm not here come morning," she warned before closing her eyes.

Once Tygra heard the girl's soft snoring, he chuckled softly before turning to the fire.

The ThunderCats and Ocelera woke up before morning though. The loud _booms _made the ground vibrate as if a giant was walking through the forest.

Everyone bolted up except the Thunderkittens who were groggy from the quick wake up.

"What's that?" Cheetara wondered.

"Lizard tech, they've probably found us," Lion-O determined.

No sooner than the words came from the young king's lips did Lizards burst through the underbrush with weapon in hand.

Lion-O pulled out the Sword of Omens and chanted, "Thunder, Thunder, ThunderCats Ho!"

Tygra cracked his bola whip and went invisible; a few lizards' weapons knocked out of their hands and punched into unconsciousness.

Cheetara slammed her extended staff onto the ground and roots rose up and seized some lizards. Using her incredible speed, she knocked out all of the captive reptilians.

Wilykat and Kit could hold out with Kat's flail and Panthro was just plain deadly.

Ocelera was kicking ass too. When a lizard charged her, she back flipped and kicked him straight under the chin. When she landed, she slammed her staff right under another's ribs. Spinning it around in her hand, she used it to vault herself into another's face. Then she slid her leg under him and he fell.

Suddenly a roar ripped through the forest, making the trees tremble from the pure power. Everyone stopped fighting and look towards what had made the sound.

All was quiet for a few moments when something suddenly barreled through the trees and attacked the lizards. It was a blur of blue fur, teeth, and claws.

It wasn't long before the lizards were running away screaming. It left the ThunderCats and the mysterious attacker. The cats prepared themselves before Ocelera ran in front and held up her hands in surrender.

"Arrêter!*" she yelled causing the beast to stop in its tracks.

It was a giant cat that's fur was pure white. Its green eyes swept over the cats before landing on Ocelera. Narrowing its eyes, it pounced at Ocelera with its teeth bare.


End file.
